GARDAÍ INVESTIGATING the disappearance of west Cork woman Anne Corcoran were last night awaiting the results of a postmortem which they believed would confirm that a body found buried in a shallow grave in woodland yesterday afternoon is that of the 60-year-old widow.
Garda technical experts found the remains in a shallow grave at a remote Coillte-owned forestry plantation at Kilmore two miles inland from Garrettstown beach yesterday afternoon.
Garda search teams had gone to the area early yesterday morning and began searching the plantation.
It is understood that the remains were badly burned and decayed, making immediate identification impossible.
The body was removed from the scene yesterday afternoon and brought to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster.
While gardaí were yesterday evening awaiting the formal identification before officially confirming that the remains are those of Mrs Corcoran, it is understood that they are now satisfied that the remains are those of the missing widow from Maulnaskimlehane, near Kilbrittain.
Mrs Corcoran, who lived alone, has not been seen since she met a friend at the Speckled Door pub near the Old Head of Kinsale on the evening of January 18th and she has not been heard from since phoning a friend from her home at Maulnaskimlehane on January 19th.
While gardaí were yesterday remaining tight-lipped about their investigation into the woman’s disappearance, detectives believe that Mrs Corcoran was assaulted at her home.
Gardaí believe she died as a result of the assault and that her body was removed a number or days later before being taken to the wood.
While gardaí were officially treating Mrs Corcoran’s disappearance as a missing persons case, it has been learned that they feared from an early stage that she had been killed and launched a parallel criminal investigation.
Mrs Corcoran’s green Peugeot 206 car, which was found at Oldchapel outside Bandon on January 28th, was forensically examined.
Meanwhile, gardaí continued with the search operation, with up to 120 civilian volunteers joining up to 40 gardaí to comb fields and woodlands around Mrs Corcoran’s home.
The search broadened out each day to try to find some clue as to what happened to the missing woman.
Yesterday afternoon, at about 3.30pm, Supt Eddie Mac Eoin of Bandon Garda station, who had headed up the investigation, informed volunteers at Kilbrittain Parish Hall that gardaí were standing down the search after the discovery of the body at Kilmore woods.
Forensic experts uncovered the remains in the shallow grave and Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster carried out a preliminary examination at the scene.
A local priest performed the last rites on the remains before it was removed to Cork University Hospital for a postmortem examination.